laying in front of the tv watching "jerry springer" and eating junk food. that is not what we're doing. we are out there every day. i want to say something. you have to step aside for a moment every now and then because you're going to drive yourself insane, but pounding it hard. the majority of americans want to work. we are the exception. not we are the exception. we are the rule. we want to work. understand that. please. >> we get it. the problem is my colleagues on the other side don't get it because they may never have been unemployed. california has the highest -- well, we are over 35 million now. our affected unemployed will be close to a million in california if we don't extend this. you understand it is critical for all of us and we all support what you have told us we need to

do. we all support that. one of the things -- and you're very right about the people who don't want to work. those make it hard for the rest, but we are not going after those who are fraudulently accessing the fund. that's something we also need to look at is get people off their duffs and not create a dynasty of people that are on unemployment forever or social service. god bless you, all of you. good luck in your future. thank you. >> thank you very much, congresswoman napolitano. i would like to ask for questions -- one point we should know that the work that the law center is doing, and i want to single out chris owens to say what melt has been doing to end that discrimination against people unemployed and unemployed for a long time. you don't have to add insult to injury for people. you don't have to tell them

their's dogging it when they are trying to make their way. with that, i recognize congresswoman moore, congresswoman spear and we have congresswoman maloney. we've got to move fast. we don't know when votes are coming up. let's get all the questions in. >> thank you, madam co-chair. i know lisa and vera are frightened, but i find their testimonies very, very frightening and intimidating for the whole country. these people are master electricians, microbiologist, bachelor degree with a lot of executive experience and they are unemployed for a long time. what about those people who don't have their skillset? i'm sorry i missed so much of

their testimony. i was perusing through their testimony. they say they've been looking for anything, part-time work, the extent to which they have been willing to accept jobs for half as much as they are worth begin their skill set. really looking at this in terms of any data that you have in terms of what we know has been a real intentionality on the part of some employers to force wages downward, and to force people like them to accept $8 an hour jobs so that the walmart, the care takers of the world, they can forget it about getting anything. i'm wondering the extent to which they have experienced age discrimination and the discrimination -- are employers

bold enough to tell you that, hey, we're not going to hire you because we know that if you get this microbiologist job you're going to leave or your salary requirements really are $25 an hour, stan, and we aren't about to hire you? i'm interested to hearing from christine and them, as well. >> you will be pleased to know the city of madison just adopted an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against people simply because they are unemployed, joining a couple of other cities that have done so. congresswoman delauro is the author of that legislation in the house. it's interesting today is the day there will be strikes by fast food workers around the country. the reality is that wages have declined for workers in this country. note that a study we released

earlier this year that looked at 700 some odd occupations and divided them into fifths. we found except for the highest-paid occupations there had been significant wage decline over the last three years. and the wage decline had been the greatest in the lowest-paid occupations. so there is no question, whatever the reason, whether it's intentional manipulation of wages, whether it's the law of supply and demand in a labor market in which there are way more job seekers than jobs, wages are going down for america's workers. that's why you see someone like lisa or vera or stan educated, experienced, long tenured workers who can only find jobs that pay far less than the jobs they have lost. i think that that is something we really need to think about in terms of the future consequences of this crisis. it will be a huge crisis if the

program is not renewed. there is no question that will affect millions upon millions of people, but long-term unemployment has long-term consequen consequences and builds deficits into our future. we need to take those into account as you all craft policy, we as advocates promote policies. this is not just an immediate problem. it's a long-term crisis for our country. >> i would love to hear from you all. are people saying, hey, lisa, vera, we would hire you, but we know you wouldn't stay here for this $8 an hour, so therefore, we aren't going to hire you? >> representative moore, here is how i want to answer that. you can't prove age discrimination, but i lost my job of 14 years two weeks before i turned 50.

two black happy birthday balloons were very appropriate this year. on the online job applications that you are forced to fill out, they make you put in the dates of your college degree or you can't go further. you have to put in a date. so yes, can you prove it? probably not. so here is what i was on the verge of doing. i have a friend in the billboard business. we were going to put a billboard, and i'm totally serious, and if you knew me, you know i'm serious. >> i think i know you. >> i was going to put a billboard in huntington, west virginia and ohio, with my big face on it that said, a lot of people know me, i've been in the advertising business and hospice and say, "hire me." reputable baby boomer, hard

worker, shows up to work, professional, you won't regret it. i had a friend ready to reserve my billboard space. so yes, it absolutely does, but you'll never prove it. you can't say. that's my answer to that, but yes, i do believe it's out there. >> i think there is a lot of discrimination against us older employees because we don't have the same skill sets as those that are recently graduating from the universities. i come from a community that has very prestigious schools. i'm also feeling the fact even though my skills are not new, that i'm feeling wage discrimination because i haven't earned that, why haven't i moved up beyond supervisor, why

haven't i gone into management or director? i realize that's not my role in the biotechnology community. i have taken on seasonal jobs with the u.s. postal service. i am on call with the ups. i am taking on a part-time job with renew by anderson windows because that will be the only salary that comes in if my state unemployment comes down. i had these benefits in the past and they have helped me. what i'm also experiencing -- my heart goes out to all these people who have minimum jobs, how are they making it? i read the stories and hear the stories that they're having to go to the churches and community houses for at least one supper a day. how are they doing it? my heart goes out to them all. i'm having to consider that

possibility that i might be taking a minimum wage job. i considered doing house cleaning on weekends. we experience age discrimination, we experience educational discrimination, we experience skill discrimination, even though in every position i've had, i've done everything that a quality assurance person could do. they won't look at me because it has not been my title and it has not been five to ten years or more of that specific skill, but i can do it. they just won't look at me for it. >> they won't train you. >> they won't train me. >> i'm going to ask congresswoman spear, maloney to ask their questions quickly and get their answers so we get the questions on the table. >> thank you. in your quiet and pained voices, you have shamed this congress.

we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here. we owe you. this congos you. i hope what our majority rep said we will take to heart, that we will not leave here next friday without renewing unemployment benefits. i feel so strongly that you have been slapped in the face by your country. we have got to make sure your benefits continue. you have put faces on numbers. we talk in numbers too much around here. your faces tell the story of people who are hard working, who have been discriminated because of age. i've held ten job hunters boot camps in my district over the last four years. historically, the numbers are all over the age of 50 because it's easy to force terminations in that kind of setting and hire young people at lower salaries.

one quick question, christine. we've got to do something legal here. to lisa's point about requiring that you establish what your dates of college degrees were acquire withed is the he ee eee easiest way to determine how old you are. what are ways to legally prevent the age discrimination that goes on in the work place today? >> certainly, it's against -- >> sorry. >> want to thank the leader and all my colleagues for calling this important hearing and all the need to extend unemployment benefits. i believe all of us are going to be fortified and fight even harder having heard your stories and having seen a real life experience of what it means. if we don't act, 1.3 million

americans will lose their unemployment benefits in january and in my home state of new york, that includes over 127,000 human faces and families that will lose it. what is very disturbing to me is not only the high rate of 7.3% unemployment, but the very high rate of long-term unemployment munemployment. and stan, you have talked about the challenges of long-term unemployment. i guess it's going to add more numbers to the long term, and that will have a ripple effect. not only for long-term unploit but all employed. what is the ripple effect u father snyder, on families, on communities, of these human numbers that are going to be losing their jobs, losing their participation? so again, i thank you. i join my colleagues in thanking you. >> congressman. >> thank you.

i'll just -- just to add to that, i represent flint, michigan, a city that some 35 years ago had 79,000 people working in the auto industry. today that number is about 8,000. so there are a whole subset of american cities for which the transition from the old to the new economy, even in a period of economic growth, has not delivered the kind of employment that's necessary to sustain the economy. so i ask if any of you might comment on how the loss of direct support for 1.3 million americans in the wealthiest country ever imagined on the planet at a time of record profits by corporations can somehow be acceptable when you have cities like flint, michigan, or saginaw, michigan, that continue to struggle to try to connect their work force with the next economy. to me, this just seems like an affront to all that is good and

right, and it's not something we ought to stand for. finally, i just want to say thank you for helping members of congress who ought to understand that this is just not economic data that we're looking at, but this is a decision that'll literally affect the lives, health, and well being of millions of americans and the fact you're willing to come help make that case is something we're grateful for. thank you. >> thank you, chris. why don't you begin and we'll get to the other direct questions. >> thank you so very quickly, congresswoman. there is legislation pending in congress protecting older workers against discrimination, which would reverse an outrageous supreme court decision. we would urge the members -- i'm sure you all support it. passing it would be incredibly important. strengthening enforcement resources for the age discrimination employment act. and just sort of public -- lending one's public voice to

the fact that age discrimination is alive and well. as i noted earlier, among the groups that are disproportionately represented in the long-term unemployed, it is older workers who are really in quite a jam because they don't have a lot of years ahead of them, even if they could get jobs quickly to rebuild their pensions, replenish their savings, et cetera. so i think elevating the issue publicly and making the case -- i want to say that we actually hired a long-term unemployed worker a few years ago who is almost as old as i am. and he is a rock star. we could not be happier. if we had 15 positions, i'd hire 15. as lisa says, they're great. >> i think stan, congresswoman maloney, addressed a question to you. caroline? >> yes, my question was about

the ripple effect of the unemployment on the community at large, particularly long-term unemployment, which you spoke so movingly about and with these high numbers, the degree of probability is there'll be more long-term unemployed. and you spoke very movingly on it. father snyder, the impact on the greater community, not just on the individuals but the greater community in which you serve with this lack of support for the families. >> the ripple effect you get, i don't know. personally, it takes away your self-worth. you lose it. in some cases, i've known people that have been through the long term, even longer than i have.

unfortunately, they're no longer with us. they could not handle it. they lose the money, their family, they lose everything. and they just end up losing themselv themselves. like i said, that's the ripple effect. i don't know what else to say. >> thanks, dan. father snoyder? >> i think there's definitely a ripple effect. when you look at our communities, american people are very generous people. there are a lot of different ways that they really try to reach out, but i think the scale of what we're seeing here is not something that private charity can ever make up. we see that because of that, people in this situation are forced to make very difficult decisions, choices about am i going to pay the mortgage, am i going to pay for my medicine, or

am i going to not buy food. so i think most nonprofits have seen our greatest increase in demand for need is food because people give up food because they can't give up housing, they can't give up medicine or shouldn't, but they know they can get help with food somewhere else. it still isn't enough. i would just bring up one of the things that really worries me, of course, is what's going to happen with s.n.a.p. benefits, which is going to compound all of this. >> i believe your question, in fact, has been answered. we do have to give up this room at noon. i want to -- so you'll survive. and i want to turn this over to our leader nancy pelosi. >> thank you very much for hosting this as part of the steering and policy committee. thank you, chairman levin, for your ongoing, day-to-day,

extraordinary, deep commitment to all of this. we're very proud of so many members who came. we've been joined by congresswoman sheila jackson lee. thank you for your work on unemployment insurance as well. so many members came and went, time did not allow all of them to ask questions, but they wanted to pay their respects to you. i know many more, because i joined them, we had to be physically present in another room, but we were watching you on tv. thank you for the generosity of spirit you have to share your stories in such a personal way. such strength. hopefully you certainly challenged the conscience of the congress, hopefully the nation as well, as people saw your presentations. so important. father snyder, you quoted pope francis earlier in the challenge he gave to elected officials and business leaders. it was reminding me of leo xiii. that was over 100 years ago.

it was an encyclical that recognized the value of work and respect for workers. it seems to me we should reread that as well as we rejoice in pope francis' very valuable statements. thank you for catholic charity's work. this is, as you said at the end, this is on top of everything else. this is on top of the resistance to raising the minimum wage, for cutting $40 billion out of food stamps. i mean, how unconscionable can that be? pell grants, now wanting to cut pell grants which are providing education for low-income families. title i for economically advantaged areas to have the education. the list goes on and on of the compounding of all of these things that are not really a budget that is a statement of our values.

but really just -- perhaps they don't know. they either don't know or they don't care. so let's hope that now knowing they will care. thank you for improving the knowledge base that people have on this. yes indeed we are making a very clear statement that we cannot, cannot support a budget agreement that does not include unemployment insurance, in the budget or as a side bar in order to move it all along. it would be -- it would undermine who we are as a country. most important lyimportantly, i strike at the heart of what you bring to america. everything that you have said is about the middle class, the backbone of our democracy. so thank you for your strength, because you strengthen our country, and we have to just be as bold as we need to be to make

sure people all know what is at risk here when they casually toss off a policy. i don't like unemployment insurance, when it is a very personal matter. again, a manifestation you are of the work ethic of the american people, something we should value, something we should respect. and when people lose their jobs through no fault of their own and are looking for work and we say, too bad, that is very bad for our country. stan, thank you. thank you for just being so generous with your story. as they say on tv, right up close there and personal for the american people, it was beautiful. vera, i don't even know what to say to you for all the challenges that you are facing. thank you for your courage. lisa, keep up that fight. and congratulations on your new job. christine, really, thank you for being such a strong, intellectual resource on all of these issues, to help improve public policy.

father snyder, thank you to catholic charities for all that you do and for coming to this table to associate yourself with the concerns of america's working families. again, i thank my colleagues for their leadership, and again, mr. levin, thank you. he's just totally relentless. totally. [ applause ] thank you, all, to our witnesses. [ applause ]

>> washington journal looks at the mission and role of the national institute of health starting live at 7:30 a.m. with director francis collins on their medical research priorities, future projects, and the impact of sequestration. at 8:00, allergy and infectious diseases director. at 9:00, national cancer institute director. at 9:30 a.m., a look at the national institute of mental health. all with your calls and comments, live on c-span. paul will be speaking at the detroit economic club on friday to announce his new proposal on jobs and the economy.

you can see a live here on c- span. after the end of legislative business this week, eric cantor and steny hoyer talked about the house agenda and the end of legislative year. this is 30 minutes. >> i thank the gentleman from maryland for yielding. on monday the house will meet at noon for legislative debate. no votes are scheduled on monday. on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, the house will meet at 10 a.m. and at noon for legislative business. friday the house will meet for business. the last votes are expected no later than 3 p.m.

the house will consider suspensions. of those i am pleased to announce the house will consider act, the first research which has over 2000 cosponsors and put into practice what i hope we will all agree on, which is to place a priority on .ediatric medical research there are a number of items available nexte week, including the sustainable growth rate in medicare and farmlative pertaining to programs.

>> i think you for the information. hopefully the agreement will be bipartisan in nature and will be balanced and fair as well. hopefully we can pass the farm bill as well. note with great disappointment uninsurance thension is not listed by leader. 1.3 million people are going to have unemployment benefits expire i believe on december 28. nose people will have support structure. my own view is they will then go

to some other support structure ,r some welfare payment medicaid, which they may be on already, but in any event it ill not be no cost. they predict it will cost as we dos 300,000 jobs if not extend unemployment insurance. we just have a hearing where we had read very compelling testimonies from three people with respect to one who just found a job on monday. she was very pleased not only for the economic damage going off unemployment will cost them, but also the psychological damage to them it would cause. somewhere --i read

the gentle man may want to comment on this, but some commented there was no appetite for extending unemployment insurance on your side of the aisle, but can the gentle man give me any idea of what also -- of the possibilities of having unemployment on the floor so we can not see those people dropped > the rolls on december 28. the read mind the gentleman benefits were past five years spending at acy time in which we were facing near bottom in terms of our economy, the fallout of the and thosecollapse, benefits were thought about in those contexts.

if he were to look at the jobs legislation this house has of which are awaiting action in the senate, we have the working family flexibility act, the rains act, the offshore energy and jobs act, the energy security act, the veteran emergency medical technician act. all of these are measures the house passed. the gentle man will agree the best way to address chronically unemployed is to the them get back to work. skills act was designed specifically to do that, to help the chronically unemployed to act with necessary skill they need to enter the job market of today. out thisurther point

week the congressional budget office issued a report in a request where the extension of unemployment benefits in which it says some unemployed workers who would be eligible for those benefits would reduce the intensity of their job search and remain unemployed longer, which would equal trees -- which would and employment. i would say such policies if we were to continue would lead to greater deficit, which would eventually reduce a nations out the door income slightly below what would occur under current i think we should be focused on how to get people back to work. has is where the house focused.

they await consideration at all. back. >> i think the gentleman for his comment. we have an alternative. he will be talking about it in terms of job and education and buting jobs for our people, the fact is there are 1.3 million people who cannot find a job. to say they will incentivize because we continue to give some , there are three people looking for everyone job available.

most of those are skill sets the unemployed have not ad. we are for investing in education. we share the view on that. it's not going to be much solace for them and their families to say, we dropped you off the rolls. you won't be able to put money on the table -- to put food on the table because the senate has ot acted. i opposed many of the pieces of but we havemyself, a crisis. that crisis is we have 1.3 million. they said not to pass this will undermine the economy and could cost as many as 300,000 jobs

from people who will not be of theseand because 1.3 million consumers, we are going to be undermining jobs in america and our economy. talked toryone i have shares that view. our side make it clear and be vigorously opposed will oppose the adjourning of the house as scheduled on friday the 13th of this month if we have not passed unemployment insurance. we believe that this critical to pass. we also believe passing the sustainable growth rate is something we ought to do by the end of the year. that will expire on december 31.

the reimbursement of doctors will be substantially reduced as a result. that is bad policy, not only for those on medicare, but it is bad policy for the medical providers that will serve those people, so i am pleased that he mentions and sustainable growth rate dr. reimbursement, but we do not have listed the unemployment insurance. we will be very adequate -- very adamant that needs to be done. the majority leader knows that will be our position. do not see the defense authorization bill. i am hopeful the senate will move on that intelligence authorization. the senate has passed comprehensive immigration reform will.

we are very disappointed on this side of the aisle that the senate bill has not been put on the floor. our bill or one of the four bills out of committee. it was supported by the republican party and the judiciary committee. they have not been brought to the floor. we believe immigration reform is a critically important action for the congress to take. we hope anyone of those options would be brought to the table.

the senate has passed in a bipartisan way the end of discrimination in employment. we talk about jobs. we talk about economic opportunity. passed that bill. that is not on the agenda either. i noticed we do have an extension bill that has been specifically reference. we will get to a debate on that next week. we have a suspension bill we have been urging that is reported out of committee that passed by 350 votes. it simply says we ought to have a plan, and that will be to

extend manufacturing, grow profits, gross salaries for individuals -- gross salaries -- grow salaries for individuals. and taxnt assistance extenders had been reference. hopefully we can do all of those. we have a short time to do that. let me ask, does the majority leader have a high degree of confidence that he will be to end the first session on the scheduled date of december 13? i yield to my friend. .> i think the gentleman

the staff has passed 150 bills very much focused on job focused on trying to ensure we address the concerns of those that are most vulnerable, while equipping those without the tools necessary to get up on the ladder of success. unfortunately, the senate has refused to take on most of those bills. 189 -- has sent 180 nine bills to the senate, and that is excluding what we did this week. of those 41 have been signed into law by the president. 148 bills have stalled in the the senate has passed

only43 bills, and of those 14 have been signed into law by so mr. speaker, we have done our work. we have got a lot more work to do. one of the things i did not hear the democratic whip mention is the issue of health care. very muche has been on the minds of america right now, and they witnessed the utter disaster of a rollout of obama care. hishe gentle man knows, constituents as well as mine are faced with higher premiums. he has said to the american people they can keep their health care laws if they would

like -- health care plans if they would like to. they have to figure out what kinds of plants are actually there for them. the administration claims the website is working just fine. we know the backend of that website is not working just fine. i am glad people are able to get on and see what is there. we don't really know how successful the sign-ups and enrollments are being. areo know most individuals facing higher premiums. those that have had to give up the plan are facing higher premiums and plants they don't necessarily choose, that they are forced to have because of the operation of this law. we need to focus on this issue. we voted on the alternative back

in 2009. there was a planned the congressional budget office said ford reduce premium patients out there. we have not resolved this issue of health care. there is a better way. we ought to spend time focusing on how we are going to resolve that for the millions of americans who are very unhappy for health options care under obama care. >> i am not surprised the majority leader wants to talk about health care. much of that legislation he is all the times the republican party has tried to repeal health care. clear thisake it

will is a very positive though for the american people. the bill to which the gentle man refers covered less than 3 million people of the 30 million to 40 million people who have no insurance. tens of millions of people i predict by the middle of next going to be having coverage and health care insurance because we passed this bill. he is right. the rollout is terrible. in president is disappointed that. it is being worked on. he doesn't recall the rollout of the subscription drug hill. -- bill.

medicaret recall that had a tough rollout for a couple years. i am not saying they don't believe it. there are people who say we ought to not have medicare. the fact of the matter is the health-care bill is going to work, but it is interesting that when you ask a specific question , it passed in a bipartisan fashion overwhelmingly. health carethe good bill. that is the politics of the issue right now. >> will the gentle man yield? >> i would be glad to yield. not politics. it's what people are concerned

about. right now more people in america are concerned about the choice they have for health care and how they will seek coverage for their family. it's not about politics. some things that do transcend washington partisan politics. we care about health care. republicans care about health care. democrats care about health care. right now there is a serious problem given the obama care law. we need to help people. that's what i am talking about, not talking about the politics of it. i am talking about what is on the minds of millions of americans as they lose the coverage they can afford. people int to help this country when it comes to

>> theealth care. governor of kentucky spoke to us this morning. kentucky is not the center of democratic politics in america, as mitch mcconnell observed. thousands of people are signing up in kentucky successfully. thousands of people are coming forward. thousands of people coming in new york and california all over this country who say they want the assurance. we haven't had much replaced. we have had a lot of repeal.

three congresses ago he is talking about it. all we have had is repeal. there ought to be an alternative the other side offers. frankly, they have not done it. glad to move to another subject. i would tell him the majority of the american people in poll after poll say they don't want it repealed. they want assurance it is going to work, but they don't want it repealed. even though we are upset about the rollout, about a website not working as effectively as we the majority say

they don't want it repealed. they want tofixed. have it work. frankly, i think that's where they are. not everybody. i understand that. certainly not some factions of the republican majority party. they have made that very clear in statements on this floor. my view is we ought not to simply distract from some of the important things that need to be .one i was interested in senator's response about the iranian deal. it was a worthwhile effort to make. we need to make sure it works. when he said this was just a

ruse, just an effort to distract from health care, i think that sort of indicates the extraordinary focus this issue the republican party on over the last three or four years. can i ask the majority leader conference,dget whether he has any idea about the budget conference coming forward? does he have any idea about whether a budget agreement has been reached? if an agreement is reached, will itself as a budget report. i am informed there will never .e a budget conference report does the gentleman know whether that is the case or not and

whether or not some agreement may be manifested by a bill and not i a conference report? i yield to the gentle man. say to the gentle man the discussions i have had with chairman ryan would lead me to some optimism that the two guys -- two sides can come to an agreement. n agreement has not been made. i am optimistic that this time differences the that have been on display at all year long -- that we can perhaps agree we need to reduce the deficit. we need to do something about wasteful spending, and once again, i don't think the gentle man nor i the the sequester is nor i thinkhod -- the sequester is the best method. it cuts bad programs the same way as good programs, and there

are better ways. said we havealways theto do something about mandatory programs that is disproportionately causing our deficit. i am hopeful next week we can show the people of this country that we can produce something smarter than the way we are going about it now. a big concern to me is the national security and defense of this country, as i know it is for the gentle man, so i am hopeful that will be the case. the form that agreement may or may not take is undetermined. i think it would be premature to even guess at that. i would say to the gentle man, i know that he joins me in hoping there is an agreement that we can maintain the trajectory in reducing spending, to it in a

smarter way so we can get about the business of prioritizing the expenditure of taxpayer dollars here in this house. i yield back. >> i think the gentleman for his comments. agree the sequester is not good policy. a matter of fact, the chairman of the appropriations committee said it best when he said the suppressors are ill- conceived and unrealistic, and that he believed the house that is thedicated, case. we haven't done appropriations bills with the sequester laws that were agreed at williamsburg to be offered. my own view that was being discussed at the budget conference, some of the things i unbalanced,s being

unfair, irresponsible, and , and unless we have a balanced agreement, which in my view, should replace the a leader, because of indicates, it's not -- as the leader indicates, is not the right did -- rational way to go. not the way to go and ought to be replaced. i am hoping any agreement will sequester.lace the i am hopeful that we would get a little deal, not nibbling around the edges so what occurs as we do this every six and we never get to a stability that the majority leader believes and i believe would give confidence to our economy,

to the business community and to our people if we got a beginning. deal, but unfortunately that does not seem to be, at least at this point in time, in the discussion. i'm hopeful that the budget committee so i'm hopeful that the budget committee conference will revisit or at least come up with a product that has not been discussed which will accomplish the objective of putting this country on a fiscally sustainible path for the long term, >> remarks by president obama at the white house hanukkah reception. that is followed by french opposition leader on the

european debt crisis and other issues. alliance for health reform will host a discussion on how medicare costs will be affected by new hospital nation classifications. you can see that discussion friday on c-span 2. span 3, former utah governor jon huntsman and former indiana governor will talk about bipartisanship. >> i am a combat vet. i served in the navy for seven years before i was medically retired. hands andboth of my had to have my hands rebuilt. i am 100% disabled.

my life expectancy is less than two years. my husband is my primary caregiver. i do not need anything from the v.a. any longer. my claim took four years to adjudicate. the entire claim was submitted fully developed in its entirety before i was even discharge from the navy. -- we are here to make sure the panel will understand are notes like my own isolated. i have dealt with almost 1000 cases in the last six months of who are dealing with

complex claims that are being denied over and over again or being lowballed. >> the house veterans subcommittee hearing on dealing with the backlog in processing disability claims. watch saturday morning at 10:00. taking stock of the grand old .arty, joe scarborough 's american history tv, lbj stepped from vice president into the oval office. that is sunday at 3:00. the farm bill conference committee was a guest on washington journal thursday. he discussed the latest negotiations on the legislation. you can see his entirety at c-span.org.

here is somewhat he said. odds that a farm bill gets passed? >> we think they are pretty good. i don't think they are going to get past before december 31 but i think we are closing in on it now. i think we could begin to get a over the holidays and begin to get the language drafted and hopefully come back after the first year and get the bill passed. host: is the ferdie first your deadline? guest: the farm bill already on september 30. right now we are operating under an expired farm bill. propood news is all of the -- crop programs are covered. producers are covered. people are getting their benefits. what happens after the first year, farmers and ranchers across the country are going to begin to plan for next year's crop. they need to know what the roles of the game are going to be. host: that brings up commodity

groups. there was a story in politico by david rogers that there has been lobbying threatening the farm bill, that the commodity growers,he corn soybean folks, the sugar folks are warring against each other. quote from congressman collin peterson. this is not helping to get a farm bill. i didn't have this in 2008 when he was the chairman. the attitude among the commodity be lined up and shoot. guest: one of the things concerned about is making sure we get a farm bill the covers all the various crops. what chairman lucas's goal has been through the whole process. we can't have a farm bill for some farmers. we need a farm bill for all farmers. explain what is going on for people that don't know. some groups when they , we at this new safety net

are doing away with direct payments which is a major reform. host: direct payments to farmers. so we're going to more of an insurance scenario. people want to make sure that tos new safety net is going provide an actual safety net for them. some people want the safety net to be based on income. some people want the safety net to be based on price. what we have been working to do together put something that meet everybody's needs. i don't think everybody is going to be happy, but generally a bill is when everybody -- not everybody felt like they got way but the bottom line is we did get a good safety net. this is a key sticking point for negotiations. explain to people who don't know foreign language how much this means in taxpayer dollars. portion iscommodity 20% of the farm bill.

the food stamps is about 80% of the farm bill. so this farm bill over a 10 year nearly $1 trillion. we are talking about somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 -- $20 billion a year. >> friday on c-span, washington journal looks at the mission and role of the national institutes of health starting live at 7:30 eastern with director francis collins on their medical research priorities. allergy and infectious diseases director anthony foutch greenlowed at 8:30 i eric , director of the national human genome research institute. 9:00, harold pharmasset and , a look at the national institute of mental health with with yourhomas insel

calls and comments live on c- span. >> treasury secretary jack lew gives an update on the implementation of the dodd frank financial regulations law. hosted byt an event the pew charitable trust. it is a half-hour. >> good morning, everyone, and thank you very much for this very special event. a little housekeeping before i get started. once secretary lou finishes his remarks, please remain seated until he leaves. he has a very tight schedule. we are very honored to host the 76 secretary of the united states secretary jack lew. this has been a tribune to the pew charitable trust which, under the steady hand of our

president, has become a major and influential voice on many of the toughest issues confronting society today. throughout its 65-year history, pew has been faithful to the guiding principle articulated by its founder. the health care, the environment, economic mobility or democratic processes, pew has spoken truth to power to improve the lives of people through out the world. and of course, almost two years ago, along with the cfa institute, pew cofounded the systemic risk council. it sought to give voice to the people's interest in a safe, stable financial system. i'm especially pleased that secretary lew will be speaking this morning on the importance of completing the financial reform agenda. he came to his job as a widely respected expert on budgetary and fiscal policy.

he has spent the vast majority of his career in government and once characterized public service as his highest calling. his expertise and knowledge have proven invaluable as he has steered the nation through perilous budget and negotiations. but he has also brought freshness and vigor to the cause a financial reform as chairman of the financial stability oversight council. he has spoken eloquently of the need for regulators to finish the important task that the dodd-frank law has placed before them. he has widely warned about the public cynicism and disillusionment if regulations cannot commonly tell the american people that we have ended too big to fail. recognizing that the efforts which really lead to a weakening of the landmark law. he has rightly argued that regulators should begin in time and adequate funding to strengthen our financial system through dodd-frank implementation.

he has supported tougher bank capital requirements and many market reforms and come importantly, he has tackled unafraid the thankless job of jeering, chastising and cajoling the finish overdue work on the volcker rule. that thing his mother should have given him the middle name of job is that of joseph, because he has given the patience. secretary lew, i commend you for your commitment to protecting the public from lost homes and lost jobs and lost savings. please join me in welcoming secretary lew. [applause] >> thank you very much for that kind introduction.

i would like to thank pew for hosting me here this morning and for the work you do every day. so many important public policy issues. i would like to spend a few minutes discussing how far we have come to repair the weaknesses that shook our financial system to its core a few years ago. and what we need to do to remain vigilant to make sure our financial system is safe in the future. five years ago, the united states economy was reeling from a devastating crisis that triggered the worst recession since the great depression. our economy was shrinking at an 8.3% annual rate. credit was frozen. our auto industry was sliding toward the abyss. and millions of americans were losing their homes and their life savings. to make matters worse, to contain the damage and keep their economy from melting down completely, american taxpayers

were forced to provide extraordinary assistance to financial institutions and other companies, many of which had taken risks that contributed to the economic crisis. the president faced an economy teetering on the edge. in response, he quickly moved to put out the financial fires, restore growth and get people back to work. but he was also determined to make sure that a financial crisis like this never happens again. this effort produced the most comprehensive overhaul of our financial system since the great depression. bringing our financial system into the 21st century and creating tools to address a complex and ever-changing set of markets and institutions. these reforms greater the strong as new financial safeguards for consumers and investors in nearly a century. as a matter of law, they stated clearly that no financial institution is too big to fail. five years later, our economy has steadily grown. this is have created nearly a million jobs over the past 44 months. our housing market is recovering. and our financial system is

stronger and once again an engine for economic growth. a lot of progress has been made and one of the main drivers has been extensive work of agencies and regulators to repair a badly damaged financial system. as regulators complete the remaining core element of wall street reform, there are four things we need to keep in mind. first, the rules of the road must be effective and designed to address the modern financial markets. second, we must make sure that regulators have the resources necessary to get the job done and that they are held accountable. third, other countries need comparably strong standards and mechanisms to address risks that reach across borders. and finally, we must remain vigilant to potential new threats constantly monitoring the way risks change and evolve and pursuing reforms to reduce risks stemming from both traditional banking and the shadow banking system. while the process of putting these reforms in place has taken longer than we hoped, much has been done. and much is being completed.

and we are committed to finishing the job. but as i said before, it is not about writing a set of rules and then walking off the field. this will require ongoing attention, ongoing fact-finding, review, analysis and action. ultimately, the measure of our success will not hinge on how fast regulations are put in place but whether we strike the right balance. that is maintaining deep requirements that promote strong promoting lending and -- protecting the economy or an taking.ve risk- with a completion of the volcker rule, resolution authority and stronger capital and liquidity requirements, the tools are being used to make our financial system safer and hold financial institutions responsible for bearing their own risk without the backstop of public support here regulators have worked hard to find the right balance that protects our economy and taxpayers while leaving room for well functioning financial markets that fuel growth and help the private sector create jobs.

the dodd-frank rules of the road address the root causes of the financial crisis and meet the challenge of regulating today's financial markets. a premium on consumer financial protection, curbs on excessive risk-taking, transparency and oversight in a massive over-the- counter derivatives market, and the necessary tools to prevent large financial institutions from threatening the financial system. these reforms are transforming the way wall street operates. as we know, some of the greatest damage to both ordinary individuals and major financial firms began with deceptive and harmful practices that left millions of americans owing more than they could ever realistically repay. dodd-frank created the consumer protection bureau to provide transparency and choice into the

tour abusive practices. the cpb has party taken bold and decisive action. it moved quickly to improve consumer protections in the mortgage market, bringing payday lenders and debt collectors under supervision for the first time and to provide extra help to those, like the elderly and military families who are targeted by scruples lenders. the new mortgage standards which help protect against risky loan features will go into effect in a few weeks. a few weeks ago, the cfpb created new disclosure forms that make homebuying simpler and more understandable for all americans. five years ago, most americans did not know what the enormous over-the-counter derivatives market was. but its lack of transparency and lack of oversight put all of them, our economy and our financial system at risk. dodd-frank set forth copperheads of requirements for this previously unregulated market

and the commodity futures commission the space have been working hard to implement these rules of the road. earlier this year, requirements for trading platforms, center counterparty clearing and trade reporting went into effect in reducing risk from derivatives by creating transparency and moving toward more standardized transactions. in september, g 20 leaders agreed to a u.s.-initiated proposal that establishes global margin standards for uncleared swaps. now regulators here and abroad will make sure that consistent safeguards across borders protect the financial system from external shocks. part of ensuring that financial institutions bear their own risk is to make certain they have sufficient capital to absorb the losses that they face. tough capital standards were put in place this summer and banks will begin compliance next month. rules requiring the largest firms to decrease leverage were proposed to this year and will soon be finalized. under dodd-frank, bank regulators conduct annual stress tests to determine if the largest and more complex u.s.

banks have sufficient capital to withstand severely adverse economic and financial conditions. for banks that do not pass these rigorous tests, change is required, including raising capital or suspending dividends. and the federal reserve will finalize new enhanced credential standards very soon that go beyond capital liquidity to impose tougher risk management standards and reduce interconnectedness for the most largest and intricate financial institutions. the largest banks are now better capitalized and less leveraged, adding more than $450 billion of capital is the first quarter of 2009. on top of that, dodd-frank restricts the types of high-risk activities in which ranks can participate. next week, regulators will begin voting on the volcker rule, putting in place tough restrictions. rule writers will put forth a volcker rule.

the rule now before regulators for a vote is a product of much intensive work and analysis and, needless to say, years of effort. it prohibits risky proprietary trading while protecting economically essential activities like market making. the rule prohibits risky trading like the london whale that are masked as risks trading hedges. and strong compliance requirements that requires those in charge to make sure that the tone sends the right signal to the whole firm. it is critical to have an effective resolution process so that individual failing firms do not jeopardize the entire financial system or leave taxpayers at risk. dodd-frank prohibits the use of tax dollars to bail out any financial firm.

it requires that we will and use the tools that the law provides. the largest financial companies have already submitted living wills or blueprints for how to unwind firms if they fail. regulators will require firms to rework these plans if they are not credible. if firms are not able to provide a credible plan, regulators can impose remedies, including requiring firms to divest or realign their businesses. also, realtors have made clear implement the authority which vows the federal deposit corporation to wind it down safely over time. and they are continuing to develop strategies and guidance for resolving major institutions with minimum disruption to the financial system. there is still more work to do, particularly to make sure that international rules mesh with our own since, as we know too well, financial crises do not

respect national borders. while we will not know how well these tools work for certain until they are tested by a true crisis, several things are clear. dodd-frank ended too big to fail as a matter of law. tough rules are now in place to make sure that banks have the capital to absorb their own losses. monitoring through stress tests is underway. and resolution authorities and plans are in place. there is a growing recognition of these changes and market analysts are now factoring them into their solutions. put simply, the reforms we are putting in place raise the cost of a bank to be large, requiring firms to internalize their risks and together with resolution authority and living wills to make clear that shareholders, creditors, and executives, not taxpayers, will be responsible if a large institution fails. earlier this year, i said, if we cannot with a straight face we ended too big to fail, we would have to look at other options. based on the totality of reforms put in place, i believe we will meet that test. but to be clear, there is no precise point at which you can prove with certainty that we have done enough.

if in the future we need to take further action, we will not hesitate. an essential part of meeting that test will be to make sure that regulators have the resources necessary to police markets and institutions effectively. even with the best rules, illegal behavior or excessive risk taking will go unchecked unless regulators have the resources to conduct regular examinations, monitor suspect behavior and go after those who break the law. the point is this is not an either/or proposition. the best rules will fall short without effective supervision and enforcement. effective supervision and enforcement are only possible with sufficient resources. after failing in efforts to block or rollback reform, some in congress would now start regulatory agencies of funding so they lack the resources to do their job. failing to fund supervision and enforcement of the new rules amounts to a virtual deregulation and puts americans at risk of financial threats that go unchecked.

even in tight budgetary times, this is not a budget-driven choice and we must provide regulators with sufficient resources to make the financial regulatory system worked and protect working families from financial harm. how could any of us say to someone who lost their job, home, or retirement security because of lack of oversight that a safe financial system was a luxury we could not afford? it cost americans trillions of dollars in untold human misery. we cannot let that happen again. the worst these agencies do is money well spent. for example, in fiscal year 2013 alone, the cftc imposed more than $1.7 billion in sanctions, including almost $1.3 billion for abusive actions related to manipulation of libor or other financial benchmarks. these sanctions made our system safer and provided disincentive for firms to engage in behavior that undermines market integrity and americans faith in the financial system.

in the near term, it is essential that congress provide adequate funding for our regulators. but if annual funding does not meet this goal, congress should consider moving the market regulator budget out of the current budget process as the president proposed and treat them like our funding agencies. that way, oversight of our markets and institutions will be guaranteed. political wind may shift but the government's ability to protect markets and make sure that they are safe must be constant. there are also ongoing efforts to strip the consumer financial protection bureau of its independence and undermine its ability to protect consumers. in only two years, the cfpb has proved itself an effective enforcer. already, it has taken enforcement action that has resulted in companies refunding hundreds of millions of dollars

to consumers and we must make sure that this new consumer agency is able to continue its vital work. you can understand why some out there would want to rein in this agency. it is now harder to to process from unfair, deceptive and abusive practices and it needs to stay that way. as we fund and support our regulatory agencies, we also need to hold them accountable. the dodd-frank act sets high expectations for regulators and gives them the tools they need to protect ordinary americans and the broader financial system. there has been and will be ongoing debate on what are the right levels for capital and liquidity and the size of banks and the structure of markets. in a few moments, i will discuss some of the areas that regulators need to keep their eyes on, including the money market fund industry and the tri-party repurchase agreement market. but one thing is clear. the regulators that congress charge with these duties continue to use the tools to reduce excessive risk in the system. if necessary, they can and

should do more. they demand strong compliance and reporting and promote effective risk management systems. when regulators see failures in internal controls, like the failures that occurred in the events in the london whale and london global, it is crucial that they be held to account. regulators like everyone else must be held to the highest standards. the stakes are high and the standard for performance needs to be justified. the u.s. responded to the financial crisis aggressively and in a bi-partisan basis to make a domestic system safer and more secure. but given the global nature of our financial system, we must continue working with other regulators to forge compatible rules so that reforms in other jurisdictions are as strong as our own. from the outset of the crisis, the time and energy we put into domestic regulatory reform is impaired with efforts to promote high-quality standards, create a level playing field and reduce risk.

we have made her breasts with -- we have made considerable progress with the g-20 in a more stable financial system. but the design is not sufficient. implementation and policy are key and we must avoid a race to the bottom. i will meet in australia with g- 20 finance ministers and i will use it as an opportunity to call on the world's biggest economies to bear down even more forcefully on implementation. our 2014 agenda is this. we will take steps to make sure that global banks meet the high standards we have set good that means moving swiftly to build strong and high-quality capital, properly weight risk assets, curb leverage, and build strong liquidity buffers to protect themselves in times of crisis. several years ago, the g-20 recommended that trading, reporting and clearing of over- the-counter derivatives be in place by now.

the united states has forged ahead in getting that done. we need to make sure that these regulations are put in place around the globe. there will be difficult cross- border issues to manage and these are made more complex because other nations are moving far more slowly than the united states. major financial institutions work globally. cross-border resolution must be part of it. the failure of lehman brothers illustrated that the absence of cooperation between domestic and foreign authorities to resolve a financial company can endanger the global financial system and underscore that in the future new resolution tools will need to work across borders. our agenda in the coming year will focus heavily on completing the work underway on international arrangements that establish out home and host authorities will cooperate, to wind down a globally active firm in an orderly way. the failure to work that could pose a future risk to our financial system. treasury is working on this emphasis.

the u.s. is also working closely with our colleagues internationally to reform financial benchmark like libor and make sure that alternatives are available to be in place. as we have seen with libor and certain spaces around for exchange rates, we must -- potential forthe market manipulation of domestically and internationally. we will also prioritize our work with international partners in ways to address the risk from short-term wholesale funding markets and shadow banking. complementing our domestic efforts. in short, we are leaders in the international efforts to develop enhanced measures for all types of financial institutions and work to align these approaches with a strong u.s. framework. our aim is clear. we want a global race to the top. while finishing high standards free-trade agreements present real opportunities to strike a growth and create jobs, we cannot allow them to serve as an opportunity to water down

domestic financial regulatory standards. and let me be clear. we will press other jurisdictions to match our robust standards, including in europe and across asia. and we will do so by continuing to pursue our international regulatory agenda in a bilateral and multilateral forums and we will be at the forefront in global financial reforms. this will help prevent gaps in oversight and protect taxpayers from financial risk. implementing the dodd-frank act and internationally agreed-upon basel standards and encouraging alignment with our strong reforms are all necessary steps toward a safer and sounder financial system. but as we take these steps, it is essential to remember that the crisis revealed that regular should and oversight failed to keep up with the rapidly evolving financial system. the fact is that we must remain vigilant to emerging threats that appear on the horizon.

dodd-frank created two new organizations to help combat potential new risks. the financial stability oversight council and the office of financial research. it brought the community together and charges us to look across our areas of responsibility, whether it is banks or markets or other financial institutions, and to identify risks that may emerge in the future. the office of financial research is working to understand what data we need to better track risks in the system and what we can learn from that data. they are leading efforts to create international standards so we can anticipate the next crisis with information that is accessible and usable. part of the current focus of these new organizations is non- bank financial companies and shadow banking. in a lot of ways, they fulfill similar roles in the financial system but without the

comprehensive oversight and safeguards that banks are subject to. it is essential that we understand the risks that they present. the tri-party repurchase agreement market is a critical source of short-term funding but one with identified structural vulnerabilities, print to early the reliance on intraday credit. particularly on the reliance on intraday the space credit to the council made recommendations for additional reform to supplement changes made by the ftc in 2010. the fcc has proposed additional reforms and is working to finalize them. having new protections goes hand-in-hand with the broader work we are using to safeguard the financial system. the council will continue to work mostly with the sec. the council and the office of financial research are fulfilling their charge to look across the financial system and evaluate risk that may pose a threat to financial stability

and for instance, the ofr recently put a study to inform the council's understanding of risk in the sect or. this report provides the council with important analysis to look at whether the industry presents risks to the broader financial system. we also cannot forget the importance of reforming the housing finance system to enhance financial stability. it is important that we work with congress in a bipartisan basis to get legislation to get this done. as the council noted in its most recent annual report, significant housing finance reform is still needed to have clarity to the market and attract more private capital. going forward, we cannot be afraid to ask tough questions with an open mind and without preconceived judgment. and informed by data and analysis, we should act as necessary to promote stability across our financial system. we knew from the start that

reforming our financial system could not happen overnight. perhaps if we were building our regulatory regime from scratch or if our financial system were less complex, it may have happened faster. our financial system is an elaborate engine that fuels economic growth. it provides credit for homes, cars and education. it helps small businesses by inventory and meet payroll. and it helps large employers hedge risks so that sudden changes to not mean layoffs or shutdowns. we made tough choices and significant progress for reforming our financial system. every day, more change comes not just on paper but in the way banks, private funds exchanges and clearing houses do their business. as we move forward and as new higher standards are phased in, the changes will be even more apparent. and our financial system will be more secure.

because our financial system is always evolving, this is work that, by its basic nature, is never finished and is our ongoing obligation to remain vigilant and responsive to identify best to a dynamic and changing financial system. thank you very much. [applause] >> remarks by president obama at the hanukkah reception. followed by the european debt crisis and other issues. house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers and congressman chris van hollen on iran andar deal with the civil war in syria. kentucky senator rand paul will be speaking at the detroit economic club friday to announce his new proposal on jobs and the economy. you can see it live starting at 12:35 eastern here on c-span.

the alliance for health reform will host a discussion on how affectedcost will be by new hospital patient classifications. discussion that friday starting at 12:15 p.m. eastern on c-span 2. on c-span 3, former utah governor and presidential candidate jon huntsman and governor evan b ayh will talk about bipartisanship. >> things escalate so quickly. moment can seem so loving -- can turn and flip and be so out of control. this is one of those days and it with adam packing to leave.

seeing a hidden handgun and saying, what is the deal? he said, i does want to sell it and make some money. on top of all the other pressures, they had no money. she just held the gun and he went in a room and came out with shotgun and really tried to jam it at her. she would pull the trigger and kill him. book,as writing the someone told me afterward that she wanted to. >> the return home is only half the story. david finkel finds that follows army sunday night at 8:00 on c-span's q&a. >> the president and first lady participated in the lighting of the menorah at a white house reception thursday afternoon. of two for the day to mark hanna cut. this is 10 minutes. [applause]

>> hello, everybody. welcome to the white house. normally, we just have one hanukkah reception. this year, we are hosting two. tohave so many friends celebrate with, we had to do it twice. i will be welcoming a whole evening.roup this don't tell them though, but you are my favorite group. [laughter] it is our own little hanukkah miracle. the party that was supposed to last only one hour will go on for eight. [laughter] you got that one? now, this is the fifth time i have celebrated han as president. this is my first funukkah, this

intersection of two wonderful holidays has inspired a lot of people across america. we are delighted to welcome a few of them here tonight. we have 10-year-old asher weintraub from new york city. asher came up with what we world's first ever to nora shaped like a turkey. menurkey.ed the where is it? i had adjusted second ago. enurkey out here. thank you, asher for your spirit and creativity. we have dana. who actually coined the term thanksgivukkah. her sister -- go here is the menurkey.

i am going to keep this in a special place. so dana along with her sister deborah expect the term to catch on around the country. where are they? let's see them. how are you? they have had a lot of fun with their project but there is a it because they said they always express their gratitude to america. no matter who you are, you can always celebrate your faith. that same spirit is reflected in menorah that we are about to my. it was designed by a man who was germany in 1922. lived through the horrors of kristallnacht and later lost a brother to the holocaust. escaped and like the people of the hanukkah story, he fought against tyranny serving in the australian army

during world war ii. after the war was over, he sought a place where he could life and practice his religion free from fear. for him and millions like him, that place was america. he passed away last year but designeds life, he this special menorah with a liberty the statue of at the base of each candle. i don't know if you noticed that. in a few moments, all nine lady shining, aill be reminder that our country's -- wherever you come from whenever your faith. that beacon stays bright because the ones thatke will join me in lighting the menorah this evening. dad, jake could not be here. he is deployed in afghanistan. [applause] but we are joined by his daughter'sife, his

-- go ahead and wave. drew, laney, kylie, i want you are nothow proud we only of your dad but also of you. grateful of the sacrifices that you make on behalf of our country every single day. tonight, we give thanks to all the men and women in uniform and for their families. they make tremendous sacrifices on our behalf. on the behalf of our freedom and our security. not only of us, but our allies and friends around the world including our friends in the state of israel. the commitment and courage our uniform -- itand is itself a miracle for which begins thanks. as the festival of light straw take one lastt's chance to think of all the miracles we were lucky to experience in our lives. small. goes like the invention of

he menurkey and big be ales like the chance to member of this country. thanksgiving and hanukkah won't again for years. this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. unless there is really a scientific breakthrough that we don't know about. againwe never may see ksgivukkah, i know if we can show the same resourcefulness and the strength as them, we be blessed with many more miracles for years to come. thank you, everybody. happy hanukkah. i want to welcome the rabbi, a lieutenant in our navy to say a blessing.

[applause] >> hanukkah formally ends tonight as the sun goes down this evening. appropriate tobe remind ourselves and the world of the meaning of this holiday. spirit, in this wonderful gathering, we now kindle the menorah and recite two blessings. oneill send the first thanking god for the miraculous capability to bring light to the world andrners of the for leaders who are dedicated to strengthening religious freedoms days. -- a simplelessing yet powerful prayer of thanksgiving for the blessing of life and theft of privilege to celebrate hanukkah together. please join me.

[singing in hebrew] >> all right. do you need some help? here i will lift you up.

that was pretty smooth. >> perfection. [applause] >> well, thank you all again for being here. we hope you have a wonderful celebration. we can't state a party because i have to go back to work. [laughter] bbut i do want to make sure that hands a chance to shake with all of you briefly as we go by. again, we just want to thank you. make sure to tell that we are proud of and two. -- proud of him too. [applause]

>> the alliance for health discussion onst a how medicare costs will be affected by new hospital patient classifications. that friday starting span2:15 p.m. eastern on c- 2. span 3, former utah governor and presidential candidate jon huntsman and governor evan bayh will talk about bipartisanship. their remarks live at 12:15 p.m. eastern. >> things escalate so quickly. just a moment can seem so loving, can just turn and flip and be so out of control. this is one of those days. adam packing to

leave and sasha going through things and seeing a handgun and saying, what is the deal? he said, i just want to take this to sell it. on top of all the other pressures, they have no money. she just held the gun and he went in the room and came out shotgun and really tried to jam it at her. to get her to go so much that she would pull the trigger and kill him. this is based on what she told me after, she wanted to. >> the return home is only half the story. david finkel follows the men of army sunday night at 8:00 on c-span's q&a. >> c-span, we bring public affairs events from washington you, putting you in the room at congressional events,, white house briefings and conferences and offering complete gavel-to-gavel

house allf the u.s. as a public service of private industry. are c-span, created by the cable tv industry 34 years ago and funded by your local cable or satellite provider. now, you can watch us in hd. >> french opposition leader cope spoke about the european crisis, political unrest in the middle east and a potential free-trade agreement u.s. at an event hosted by the hudson institute. mr. cope is president of the union for a popular majority. this is an hour and 15 minutes. >> bon soir. [speaking french] just kidding, don't worry. not doing it in french.

good evening. i am president and ceo of the hudson institute. i would like to wish a warm audience here in person at the betsy and walter conference center at hudson institute. also to our live audience on c- span around america. i also want to give a special thanks to the terrific folks at for the important service that you provide to all of us. tonight we have a truly program, a speech by friends opposition leader cope role within europe and europe's role on the global stage. before i have the honor of introducing him, whoever the knowing for many years, let me say a few words about the hudson institute and our topic for this evening. is as all of you know a market oriented international organizationch dedicated to original research

that promotes security, prosperity and freedom. 1951 by theded in late geo strategist herman kahn, a brilliant creative and unconventional thinker. ever since his time and for more than half a century now, hudson scholars have paid special attention to france, publishing regularly in key publications and being interviewed by key , a numberia outlets of whom are with us this evening. was almost unique among american policy research organizations. a clear analysis, they decision to remove france's nuclear arsenal from under the nato umbrella. we have a long tradition here at hudson. at the time in a very controversial report that we did independent french nuclear credible would be more

than the u.s. controlled deterrent against the soviet threat. few here will remember that hudson for many years at a paris office. i am ready to reopen it. only under one condition -- that i be named director. in all seriousness, our scholars have had a long tradition of reaching key french officials s.cluding french president' tankn was the first think in washington to host a rising star in french politics, a man named nicolas sarkozy in a luncheon that was largely pressated in the french and drew about as much french press as we have this evening. we enjoyed breaking the president and his key advisers on numerous occasions. hudson continues to recognize the critical importance of france and our allies, that sentiment is not universally

held here in washington. frank, u.s.-european relations are in a challenging period and that is the result of asia or theivot to snowden revalations. a rising tide of isolationism in both political parties and a house that prides itself but whoseteralism pager on key issues from missile defense to afghanistan, syria iran is unfortunately often more unilateral than its predecessor and is frequently criticized as such in european press, has left europeans with a sense that the alliance means than at any time since world war ii. challenges, is the fact that france obviously mired in a deep recession with unemployment at almost 11%. the crisis so deep that it has shattered the franco german unity was the engine driving european progress.

it has fueled the rise of extreme right political parties would fare of astonishing way well in many countries including france. against this challenging backdrop, we are truly fortunate honorable jeanht françois cope. pe's impressiveo- bio is known to all of us in this room. he has been entrusted with a many key leadership positions including majority leader of the french parliament, budget minister and government spokesman. in addition to serving as a member of the french national assembly and as mayor of the town of mauc, he is the founder driving force behind a think tank that has spurred critical reflection on important issues in france.

in may, 2012, in an election that stunned many of the french establishment, jean françois cope was elected unp.dent of the electionçois won that by doing precisely what he has done throughout his career in public life. frankly addressing key issues of concern to voters such as immigration that often leave squeamish,ials resting for words and incapable of straight talk. because of his insight and userience, i think all of ope ise this evening,c among the leading figures in french politics and will be for some time to come. we are also honored to have met cope here withe us this evening. let's give a warm welcome to cope.rançois he was speak and then get take questions from the audience. [applause]

>> mr. president, thank you very much. it is a real pleasure and a great honor to meet -- to be tonight. let me tell you something. i apologize for being late. first of all, in order to be on time i decided from paris to come and fly with a plane from united airlines. [laughter] something terrible happened and i would like to tell it to you. down and theaks crewmembers say, sorry, we will be very late. i said, no problem, i will take air france. the plane of united airlines has been totally canceled and the france arrived on time. sometimes i have heard that in , there is sort of french

bashing. report my owno experience about the fact that sometimes the french airplanes are arriving on time. it is a way for me to say again, happy and very proud to be your guest tonight. it is a great opportunity for me to tell you a little bit about europe andng on in in france during this very time that we are living altogether. first of all, i would like to about personal reflections about the european crisis. now -- ande to face then i will be very happy to answer your questions if you have some. , about the crisis we have to face. this is not a punctual economic crisis. it is a long-term crisis. a countrycrisis of

that once represented an cultural, economic and moral leadership. sees greatent now hours rising and becoming political and economic giants. this means that for many european, globalization is seen as an opportunity but it is also as what caused a relative decline. for a continent like europe with the history which is our this means many things. psychologically, politically, for the people. even as they continue to grow, countries now fear opposition by the great world powers. change has been anticipated by political leaders in the aftermath of the second

world war. -- andn founding fathers france too, general de gaulle fought to establish french independence and economic power while strengthening french- german friendship. resistr for europe to the world's great changes and in order to keep at bay the threat war, europeans sought to build an ambitious project. they put in place a political constructed union not thanks to violence or to conquest but through the states and the peoples. the idea that union makes strength, which is as you know, the model of europe. the accelerated pace of

globalization, the emergence of bric countries transformed the status quo. the european union rapidly opened up its doors to ex soviet members and sought to reunify europe by getting rid of the curtain seen by many as a scar tearing the continent apart. the european union grew bigger different ways, following the recent croatia now 28 stateare members. project the european was never -- meanwhile, we built a common currency, the euro. 17 countries adopted the currency. rapid enlargement in common currency, this was the gamble. europe would bet

be reconciled and prosperous. peace, europeto succeeded this is a great achievement. think about the fact that this which saw france and germany waging war every 30 1870, 1914, 1939, is now peaceful. maybe you have read the very cameronpeech that david delivered a year ago -- 18 months ago. this speech was very interesting because the british prime gave the idea that europe had two main goals. achievement and prosperity. the conclusion of cameron is europe has been successful

for peace but not for prosperity. this is exactly the challenge that we have to face now. i would like first to recall the terrible results opinion polls surveyery time we european and french citizens. institute pew research center has published a very interesting and terrible poll. in 2012, -- excuse me, yes 2012, -- sorry it is because of the jet lag. french respondents were favorable to either and this number decreased in 2013 to 41%.

60 to 41. even the british ranked better with 43. we now suffer from the economic crisis. the european project is now discredited in most european countries. 45% of the only theyndents in europe say are favorable to the european union. about the doubt of european citizens about the future of european union.